Desert experiences

It was another action packed day for the Israel team as we hit multiple sites today in our journey. We began with an amazing breakfast buffet which included shakshuka (an Israeli breakfast staple) as well as many fresh fruits, vegetables, fresh breads and so much more. The food here has proven to be amazing! After breakfast, we took a 3 minute walk down to the lowest spot on planet earth, the Dead Sea, where we opened with a morning devotional. After filling ourselves with great food and God’s Word, we jumped back on our bus and headed to our first stop of the day, Masada.

The fortress of Masada was built in the year 30 BCE by King Herod. After Herod’s reign, the fortress of Masada was later inhabited by a group of Jewish rebels seeking to escape the Roman army. This seemingly impenetrable fortress held through an incredible 4-year siege by the Romans but in 73AD, the 960 Jewish zealots living at the top of Masada chose to fall upon their own swords rather than to fall into the hands of the Romans. Today, Masada is the largest and most complete Roman siege camp in existence. It was incredible to experience Masada and understand the events that took place within (and outside) of its walls. Even after 2000 years, the ingenuity behind its design is unbelievable.

The group left Masada only to learn about a “bus malfunction” that placed us at a Bedouin camp deep within Israel’s Negev desert. While at the camp, we learned that indeed there was no “bus malfunction”, only that we had fallen victim to a prank that ended up with us on the backs of camels! Pastor Josh, our bus driver Eli and our tour guide Dan were all in on it, and despite a slight loss of trust in our leadership, we thoroughly enjoyed our afternoon with the Bedouins and the camels. While at the camp, we lounged in a traditional Bedouin tent and were served tea and coffee as we listened to our afternoon devotional. Josh taught from Deuteronomy 8 and reminded us that God indeed disciplines His children. Even in life’s “desert experiences”, God remains faithful to His people and never leaves us in the midst of it all.

It was then back to the bus to head out to our next destination, Arad. Arad is a very interesting location that has a diverse history dating back to the bronze age when Arad was a Canaanite settlement. It was later inhabited during the iron age by the Israelites and remained in their hands until the city was destroyed by the Babylonians in approximately 580 BCE. Arad had some amazing ruins and desert scenery.

Lastly, our day ended with the group taking a dip together in the Dead Sea. Due to the extremely high salt content, the buoyancy you experience in the Dead Sea is like nothing else and the mud from the Dead Sea leaves your skin feeling baby soft! We floated and bobbed together in the warm waters of the Dead Sea until it was time for dinner. It was a great day had by all and now we can only look forward to getting some more rest before we head out again tomorrow morning. Thank you for following and praying along with us in this journey, God bless.